The Ha Tinh provincial government has established a battalion of police officers to act in case of emergency at the Vung Ang Economic Zone -- where a riot erupted out of anti-China protests last May.

Vo Kim Cu, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, made the announcement at a meeting with a working group from the Ministry of Public Security on Monday, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

Cu said that along with the battalion of emergency police, a team of firefighters was also established to ensure security and safety at the zone.

Vung Ang was the target of anti-China violence triggered by the illegal deployment of a giant US$1-billion oil rig into Vietnamese waters on May 2. Rioters torched, looted and vandalized the construction site.

The incident left three Chinese workers dead and 149 others, both Chinese and Vietnamese, injured on May 14.